


Second Kisses

by Not_You



Category: Watchmen (Comic), Watchmen - All Media Types
Genre: Body Image, Coming Out, Dubcon Kissing, Feels, First Kiss, Internalized Homophobia, Kissing, M/M, Minor Violence, Rorschach Has Issues, adults using their words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-24 17:11:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3776737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their second kiss is much better than their first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Kisses

It's one of those stupid, trainwreck moments. The night has been too hot and too long and Dan almost isn't surprised at himself when he presses a kiss to his partner's thin, chapped mouth. There's a moment when Rorschach does something that could almost be called melting, and the whisper of a suggestion that he might kiss back. Then Dan is picking himself up off the floor, one eye swelling shut and that ear deafened with ringing. The only sign of his partner is the sound of frantic footfalls in the tunnel, and freaked out as Dan is, he has to concede that chasing him probably won't do any good. Nothing is going to do any good, and he goes up to the kitchen to eat painkillers and ice cream while he tries to figure out how to take down the Underboss on his own.

Walter sits up all night hugging his knees between bouts of pacing, and calls in sick to work. He can barely focus enough to lie, hunched over the hall phone as he mutters about chills and fever, hanging it up with a clumsy clatter that lends verisimilitude to the performance. For once the bathroom is free, and he ducks inside to put cold water on his face, which has been burning off and on since Daniel... He can't even think about it, about the enormity of that stolen touch. Walter groans quietly to himself, thinking of the panicked strength of his own right hook, and of Daniel maybe seriously hurt. He should've just pushed him away. It was probably some kind of accident, or oversight, or... No, the snarling voice of Rorschach is right. Homosexual advance. It says. Revolting. Degenerate.

Still, even Rorschach must concede Nite Owl's usefulness to the cause, and so he goes back down the tunnel five nights later, his heart hammering in his chest. His hands are cold inside his gloves, and he has a sudden, irrational fear that the Nest will be deserted that nearly makes him break into a sprint. Rorschach controls himself. Barely. Takes measured steps, doesn't sag in relief to see the light over the workbench. Walks over, letting the air currents and his shifting shadow alert his partner to his presence. Daniel looks up from Archie's schematics, his left eye staring out of a massive blue bruise that is obviously not as bad as it was.

"Rorschach."

"Daniel."

They stay there like that for a moment. "So."

"Still partners."

"We are?"

"Nite Owl has nothing to do with your sickness."

"...Fuck you." They both sit there for a moment, neither one quite able to believe he said it. Then Daniel stands, very deliberately. "Nite Owl is who I am. Queer is who I am too." He studies Rorschach, who has frozen, as if that will keep this conversation from happening. "You were right to belt me one. I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that, but-"

"No." Rorschach cuts him off, taking an unconscious step closer. "Shouldn't have hit you." Touching Daniel is far from safe, but his fingers lightly brush the edge of the bruise, propelled by remorse. Daniel lets him. Lets Rorschach cup his jaw, and only steps back when one thumb brushes over his lower lip.

"Uh, I... yeah." He runs a hand through his hair, and clears his throat. "I was gonna stay in and overhaul Archie..."

Rorschach takes him up on the mostly-unspoken invitation, and blushes furiously under his mask, automatically acting as Daniel's surgical nurse. There's no sound but the soft clunking of metal on metal. "Have always been homosexual?" Rorschach finally says, shocking his partner into a laugh.

"Okay, first things first, I'm bi, not actually gay. And the answer is always."

"Why?"

"Why am I-"

"No, why _me_."

"Oh." He blushes, and looks away.

"Am not attractive. Proximity?"

"Rorschach, you're attractive." Daniel mutters, disappearing into the bowels of the engine again.

"Have never seen my face."

"Yeah, but you're poetry in motion and have beautiful hands. You slugged me for kissing you, why are we having this conversation?"

"Doesn't make sense!"

"Look, Rorschach." Daniel reappears. "I won't touch you like that ever again, and I'll keep my opinion of your attractiveness to myself, and we can go on being partners. How does that sound?"

Rorschach blinks. "I..."

"Right, you think about that." He disappears again, and Rorschach ponders that. He can't help but remember the way Daniel's lips felt on his own, and unconsciously touches them through his mask.

"Daniel?"

"Yes?"

"...Regret former violence."

"Hey, that's all right. You usually punch the hell out of things that shock you."

He shakes his head. "Still. Very bad." He squrims miserably, hating to make a request under these circumstances. "Curious." He says, hoping Daniel will take his meaning.

"What about?"

"Have never... _had_ never..." He fidgets with his gloves, tongue glued to the roof of his mouth as he nervously pushes up his mask.

"...Oh." Daniel clambers out. "Really?" He nods. There's no way for him to form the words for what he wants, so he makes a clumsy lunge of his own. Daniel's muffled noise of shock vibrates against his mouth, and the softness is overwhelming. He shudders and Daniel pulls away, staring. "Rorschach?"

"Am deeply aware of hypocrisy." Rorschach licks his lips automatically, blushing.

"Oh man." Daniel whimpers. "Oh man, I'm gonna do something stupid again. Buddy, what the hell were you thinking?"

"Wasn't, clearly." Daniel kisses him again, and this time he wraps his arms around his partner's neck, sighing softly through his nose.

"You better tell me right now if you still think I'm sick." Daniel murmurs, his hands on Rorschach's waist. And that's what does it. Those gentle hands settled above his hips, not moving anywhere else, not pawing or grabbing, and he can feel his heart in his throat.

"Not... Not sick." He lightly touches Daniel's mouth again, watching him close his eyes and kiss Rorschach's fingertips. "You're a good man, Daniel Dreiberg." He murmurs, and they both know it's the closest to a declaration of love that he's going to get, and that it's all they need.


End file.
